[SET]
Offensive (Azelf) @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy / Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Mystical Power
- Draining Kiss / Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower / Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot / Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Azelf's good Special Attack and Speed make it a niche fast special attacker. Mystical Power can let Azelf snowball and punish Pokemon sacrifices, but Psychic offers more immediate power for wallbreaking and securing KOes so Azelf doesn't take retaliatory hits. For example, Psychic notably OHKOes uninvested Slither Wing. Draining Kiss keeps Azelf healthy while offsetting the recoil damage from Life Orb. However, Dazzling Gleam is more immediately powerful against Cyclizar and threatening Dark-types like Krookodile, and it doesn't make Azelf as reliant on Terastallization. Flamethrower dispatches Steel-types like Bisharp, Registeel, and Magnezone that could otherwise wall Azelf. Shadow Ball is an alternative to Flamethrower that nails Armarouge and other Psychic-types like Slowbro and Reuniclus. Azelf can capitalize on switches it forces against Galarian Weezing, Slither Wing, and Choice Scarf users like Galarian Zapdos locked into not very effective moves, setting up Nasty Plot and tearing through defensive cores. At +2, Life Orb Azelf can OHKO Registeel with Flamethrower, Slowbro with Shadow Ball, and Hippowdon with Psychic. Since Azelf's poor bulk limits its actual opportunities to set up, Thunderbolt is a decent alternative that nails Empoleon and other Water-types like Slowbro, Volcanion, and Suicune. Expert Belt emphasizes Azelf's excellent offensive coverage against defensive staples like Galarian Weezing, Jirachi, and Cyclizar, and it gives Azelf enough power to 2HKO Fezandipiti after the latter has gotten a Calm Mind boost. Life Orb improves Azelf's damage output against neutral targets like Mamoswine, secures 2HKOes against Hippowdon and Rhyperior, and powers up coverage moves to better threaten Hisuian Goodra. Tera Fairy and Tera Fire both provide Azelf a helpful resistance to Slither Wing's First Impression and boost one of its coverage moves. Tera Fairy helps against Sucker Punch users like Bisharp, Knock Off users like Cyclizar, and U-turn users like Mienshao, and, with the boost from Tera Fairy, Life Orb Dazzling Gleam 2HKOes Umbreon. Tera Fire gives Azelf a neat resistance to Mamoswine's Ice Shard while carrying over Tera Fairy's Bug resistance to deal with First Impression and U-turn, and it powers up Flamethrower to melt Hisuian Goodra and Registeel.
Azelf primarily fits on fast-paced offensive teams that keep up a fast tempo with pivots like Galarian Zapdos, Fezandipiti, and Magnezone. Azelf's poor bulk means it appreciates these pivots bringing it in safely. Physical wallbreakers like Krookodile, Mamoswine, and Bisharp threaten special walls like Cyclizar and Empoleon, while Azelf can overwhelm physical walls like Hippowdon, Galarian Weezing, and Chesnaught. Similarly, Mimikyu can deal with revenge killers like Cyclizar and Slither Wing, while Azelf pressures problematic Poison-types like Galarian Weezing and Fezandipiti. Galarian Zapdos checks Dark-types like Krookodile and Bisharp and pressures Steel-types like Hisuian Goodra and Empoleon for Azelf, and Azelf's frailty is mitigated by the free switches Galarian Zapdos provides with U-turn. Moxie sweepers like Salamence, Gyarados, and Choice Scarf Krookodile can more easily get the ball rolling against teams Azelf has weakened. Special attacking cleaners like Oricorio-E, Fezandipiti, and Basculegion-F can more easily sweep thanks to the holes Azelf makes in special walls like Cyclizar and Jirachi during the mid-game. Entry hazard removal from Maushold, Cyclizar, and Empoleon helps Azelf remain healthy enough to stay out of range of revenge killers like Noivern and opposing Cyclizar. Azelf enjoys hazards wearing its foes down, opening it up to OHKO Magnezone with Flamethrower after one layer of Spikes, so hazard setters like Gligar, Chesnaught, and Klefki can enable Azelf. Azelf's frailty leaves it easily revenge killed, so bulky Pokemon that can switch into revenge killers are a big help. (AP) Slowbro and Galarian Weezing handle Galarian Zapdos; Fezandipiti and Hippowdon both take on Slither Wing, the latter of which can also deal with Bisharp; and Empoleon and Hisuian Goodra manage specially offensive revenge killers like Hisuian Zoroark and Choice Scarf Basculegion-F.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Offensive (Azelf) @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Fairy / Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Mystical Power
- Draining Kiss / Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower / Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot / Thunderbolt
[SET COMMENTS]
Azelf's good Special Attack and Speed make it a niche fast special attacker. Mystical Power can let Azelf snowball and punish Pokemon sacrifices, but Psychic offers more immediate power for wallbreaking and securing KOes so Azelf doesn't take retaliatory hits. For example, Psychic notably OHKOes uninvested Slither Wing. Draining Kiss keeps Azelf healthy while offsetting the recoil damage from Life Orb. However, Dazzling Gleam is more immediately powerful against Cyclizar and threatening Dark-types like Krookodile, and it doesn't make Azelf as reliant on Terastallization. Flamethrower dispatches Steel-types like Bisharp, Registeel, and Magnezone that could otherwise wall Azelf. Shadow Ball is an alternative to Flamethrower that nails Armarouge and other Psychic-types like Slowbro and Reuniclus. Azelf can capitalize on switches it forces against Galarian Weezing, Slither Wing, and Choice Scarf users like Galarian Zapdos locked into not very effective moves, setting up Nasty Plot and tearing through defensive cores. At +2, Life Orb Azelf can OHKO Registeel with Flamethrower, Slowbro with Shadow Ball, and Hippowdon with Psychic. Since Azelf's poor bulk limits its actual opportunities to set up, Thunderbolt is a decent alternative that nails Empoleon and other Water-types like Slowbro, Volcanion, and Suicune. Expert Belt emphasizes Azelf's excellent offensive coverage against defensive staples like Galarian Weezing, Jirachi, and Cyclizar, and it gives Azelf enough power to 2HKO Fezandipiti after the latter has gotten a Calm Mind boost. Life Orb improves Azelf's damage output against neutral targets like Mamoswine, secures 2HKOes against Hippowdon and Rhyperior, and powers up coverage moves to better threaten Hisuian Goodra. Tera Fairy and Tera Fire both provide Azelf a helpful resistance to Slither Wing's First Impression and boost one of its coverage moves. Tera Fairy helps against Sucker Punch users like Bisharp, Knock Off users like Cyclizar, and U-turn users like Mienshao, and, with the boost from Tera Fairy, Life Orb Dazzling Gleam 2HKOes Umbreon. Tera Fire gives Azelf a neat resistance to Mamoswine's Ice Shard while carrying over Tera Fairy's Bug resistance to deal with First Impression and U-turn, and it powers up Flamethrower to melt Hisuian Goodra and Registeel.
Azelf primarily fits on fast-paced offensive teams that keep up a fast tempo with pivots like Galarian Zapdos, Fezandipiti, and Magnezone. Azelf's poor bulk means it appreciates these pivots bringing it in safely. Physical wallbreakers like Krookodile, Mamoswine, and Bisharp threaten special walls like Cyclizar and Empoleon, while Azelf can overwhelm physical walls like Hippowdon, Galarian Weezing, and Chesnaught. Similarly, Mimikyu can deal with revenge killers like Cyclizar and Slither Wing, while Azelf pressures problematic Poison-types like Galarian Weezing and Fezandipiti. Galarian Zapdos checks Dark-types like Krookodile and Bisharp and pressures Steel-types like Hisuian Goodra and Empoleon for Azelf, and Azelf's frailty is mitigated by the free switches Galarian Zapdos provides with U-turn. Moxie sweepers like Salamence, Gyarados, and Choice Scarf Krookodile can more easily get the ball rolling against teams Azelf has weakened. Special attacking cleaners like Oricorio-E, Fezandipiti, and Basculegion-F can more easily sweep thanks to the holes Azelf makes in special walls like Cyclizar and Jirachi during the mid-game. Entry hazard removal from Maushold, Cyclizar, and Empoleon helps Azelf remain healthy enough to stay out of range of revenge killers like Noivern and opposing Cyclizar. Azelf enjoys hazards wearing its foes down, opening it up to OHKO Magnezone with Flamethrower after one layer of Spikes, so hazard setters like Gligar, Chesnaught, and Klefki can enable Azelf. Azelf's frailty leaves it easily revenge killed, so bulky Pokemon that can switch into revenge killers are a big help. (AP) Slowbro and Galarian Weezing handle Galarian Zapdos; Fezandipiti and Hippowdon both take on Slither Wing, the latter of which can also deal with Bisharp; and Empoleon and Hisuian Goodra manage specially offensive revenge killers like Hisuian Zoroark and Choice Scarf Basculegion-F.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
